Ginormous Favor Delivered

Just so you all know, we left the Christmas Corral in the very best of hands! Allow me to explain.

Max and I planned to go to our family ranch for Thanksgiving this year for a few reasons. First, this year was ranch year--we have been on a bit of a rotation for the last few Thanksgivings. Second, Max's brother Terry, an FBI agent, will be heading to Iraq within a month to lead a team, and we all wanted to get together before his departure. Third, Max's sister Alicia and family were making the trip from Oklahoma for the holiday. And finally, we wanted to relax and enjoy our family before holiday craziness hit.

We decided soon after planning to go ahead and sell trees that we wouldn't open the Christmas Corral until the first of December so that we could make our scheduled ranch trip. Our super pumpkin stand volunteers and now terrific friends, Barb and Tim, were having none of that! They let us know that they would open and run the tree stand the WHOLE ENTIRE WEEKEND because it needed to be open for all the people who bought their trees the day after Thanksgiving. Open and run it they did! Max and I made it back into town about 3:30 this afternoon to find a smooth running machine.

Tim opened early Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and stayed all day, every day! He called us Friday and Saturday nights at the ranch to provide daily reports. Can I just say now how right they were that the stand needed to be open?! In three days time, the stand has brought in over $5000! Without Tim and Barb's generous gift of their time, we would have really missed the boat on this one.

Let me tell you a little about Tim. He is a self-proclaimed Scrooge. He wants nothing to do with Christmas songs or decorating until at least December 1o. At the time, he will allow his wife to decorate and enjoy the holidays. Before that, forget it! Tim volunteers his time every weekend at the church nursery holding babies. Barb told me it's his favorite time of week. The funny thing I discovered about Tim is that he likes babies so much because they don't talk or talk back! It makes me laugh just thinking about it. When Tim started volunteering his weekends at the pumpkin stand walking kids around on horses, he discovered that that was pretty fun too--even though the children were old enough to talk to him. Tim walked hours and hours leading the kids around. We didn't know he could get any more helpful until tree time.

Barb, Tim's wife, is also amazing! She's allergic to Christmas trees and still was there for hours and hours and hours! She is so sweet and terrific with customers--I cannot thank her enough for the interest she has taken in our youth ranch. Barb even went shopping for things we needed at the stand. Above and beyond, I tell you!

Are you feeling overloaded with gushy talk? I sure hope not--there's more! Barb and Tim's daughter, Melissa, volunteered several hours on Saturday and Sunday working the stand. Thanks so much, Melissa! I'm sure you could have found a lot more exciting things to do with your time. I'm really enjoying getting to know you.

Rebekah--we heard you were there for many hours volunteering. Thanks for working at the stand.

Now on to another amazing family. Keith, Dena and their boys, Tyler, Spencer, and Parker, were at the Christmas Corral all three days as well! Really??? Their one weekend off from their crazy schedules and then stood in the cold wind! We love you guys! The boys helped haul many trees to people's cars. Tyler, far right, is a work-a-holic! That boy is very dedicated to helping and hauling whether it's pumpkins or trees. Dena said he worked all day carrying one thing or another. Dena shopped and ran the cash register (box) with Barb and Melissa. Keith was in there cutting tree trunks, hauling trees, restocking, etc. etc.! I cannot express enough gratitude to thank these people. To totally push my love for Dena over the edge, she provided pictures of some fun times they had Saturday afternoon.

From left to right is Dena, Rebekah, and Barb in the back row, Spencer and Tyler in the middle, and Parker at the bottom. They got Santa and elf hats--how cool is that? In the above picture, that's Keith, Tim, and Melissa humoring me. Below is Dena, Melissa again, and Barb being too cool.

Here are a few things Max and I learned about running the tree lot from these fine people:

• The wreath prices have been increased and they're staying there until after next weekend or longer.
• If you let a customer go out the door without making a sale, you cannot stand by the heater.
• We are not tying trees on customers cars--too much liability. We will provide the twine, you tie it on. (Smart rule--I hope I can stick to it.)
• The saw Max bought is no good.They made him try out the error of his ways. Can you tell he's laughing at how bad the saw is?

Tim went home and got his own trusty saw after the first day of using the little one. Back to the list:

• If a person wants branch clippings, they can take all they can carry for a $5.00 fee. (As opposed to the free I would have done.)
• If you want a tree delivered, it will cost you at least $15. (We never even considered this option.)
• Even Scrooge (Tim) thinks Christmas music is a good idea right now. (He brought a radio to play Christmas music BEFORE December.)
• Max's price list was no good either. Tim created his own--one that he could hand to the customers as they entered the lot.  (A lot of these prices have been drastically cut by as much as $20.00 or more on larger sizes!!)

I'm sure I'll think of more, but I wanted you to have an idea of the rules and regulations that are now in force.

Amazing people who did so much for us this weekend, THANKS A TON!!! We love and appreciate you all so much! Thanks for helping us and helping our customers keep their traditions alive. I don't know how we'll ever repay you.

Funny little piece of trivia as this post comes to a close. Tim and Barb and Keith and Dena all have artificial trees.

Have a great week.

Sweet Nothings

"Pssssst.  Just wanted you to know Michelle will be back tomorrow with more of her exciting babble."

Have a great weekend.  

Pass The Tums

I figured you all might be feeling a little full and rather bloated (was that redundant?) and not much in the mood for reading a whole lot of gibberish from me. How 'bout feasting your eyes on a very cool video? If you like horses, click here for a great time! I can almost guarantee (who knows, you might be grumpy and that could sway your judgement) you'll love it!!

You're welcome. :)

So sorry--I had the link pasted incorrectly. I couldn't test it out because I scheduled it to post while I was gone. I hope you try it again.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are some mighty blessed people with so many reasons to be thankful! I hope your Thanksgiving Day is filled with love, gratitude and fun...oh, and delicious food!
I can hear the horse's thoughts, "Dude, are you really eating a deer leg?! That's disgusting!Yum, yum!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey, Cuz and Thank You Very Much

I have a problem. It is driving me mad! I cannot stop calling the Christmas Corral the pumpkin stand. It comes out of my mouth about fifteen times a day. I even wrote it in an email yesterday. I am not the only one with this issue. In fact, Grant is the only one in our family who consistently calls it by the correct name. Claire told me it was because "he has a young brain and can remember things better." If I accidentally write "pumpkin stand" any time this month, ignore it and let me be. I cannot help it. Really, I can't.

So the other night at the pumpkin stand, we had some special visitors stop by while we were setting up.

This little guy is Riley, and the muffin below is his sister Madison. They are the children of Max's cousin, April. April, Max, and Josh (April's brother) grew up the best of friends, always together. From the stories I hear, they had some great times. April and Mike now live in Virginia. To have them appear at our stand was quite exciting for us. It was so cold during their visit that I was shivering. The kids didn't seem to mind in the slightest. I always find that amazing. Kids are too busy having fun and being happy to be worried about being uncomfortable. OK, sometimes. Still impressive if you ask me.

Seeing Riley and Grant play with each other was a cute sight. I only wish we lived closer so that they could create memories together, much like their parents did. April, Riley, Madison, and Mike--thanks for taking the time to visit us. It meant a lot. Love you guys. We hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving in New Mexico.

I'm already getting behind on thank you's and the stand isn't officially open. I'm going to attempt to list some of the sweet people that have already pitched in one way or another.

Renee, thanks for your countless hours. You do so much for us. Trish, thanks for taking one for the team with that saw and making the flier. Barbara, Shelby, Mikki, and Bailey--we're loving the creation! Thanks for all your painting expertise and for donating so much time in the cold, cold night air. Patrick and Rosslyn, thanks for watering trees at the ranch and standing trees at the Christmas Corral. Cindy, thanks for helping set up today. I appreciate your creative touches. Mason--you were a huge help to Max the other night. Thank you. Donna, thanks for cleaning up after us. It made a huge difference. Nancy N., thanks for measuring for curtains and donating the little kitchen. Chase and Chris, your lighting expertise is unmatched! Thanks. Kelly Sivage, thank you for all of your electrical assistance and for letting us borrow your lights. Mom, wow! You have already done so much for us! Thanks for helping us run our life at home while we get the stand ready. Fireman Barnsie, thanks for stopping by and offering your assistance. Lisa, thanks for helping me wrap candy yesterday and move trees for Max. Also, thanks for taking home the bells and ribbon. Carri, thanks for donating lights and painting! You're awesome. Amber, thanks for painting and cleaning. You did a great job. Keith, thanks for giving up your Saturday afternoon to be there for Max. Tom, thanks for picking our kids up and taking them to Bryce's bday party. That was a huge help. Barb and Tim, THANK YOU! These two have volunteered to run the stand Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until we make it back from our Thanksgiving plans. Who does something like that for others??! We weren't even going to open until December 1, but Tim and Barb were having none of that. You guys are incredible!

I should have a list of helpers. Why don't I have a list? You have to know there are people I am leaving out. If you are one of the wonderful people who have helped us, a generic thank you until my mind unleashes your good deed!

Good night all and Happy Thanksgiving.

Tree Huggers

Did you know someone drove three days to bring a very special load our way? How thoughtful, huh?

Yep, that's Levi, the truck driver, and were we ever excited to see him pull up. I think he was such a good sport letting me take his picture after driving all day. When I first asked if I might take his picture, he said no. But, being the smart woman that I am, I knew he couldn't possibly mean it so I asked again. This time he was very cooperative. The next morning I did not ask before snapping away. I just figured that I still had his permission from the night before. Thanks, Levi! You're a very good sport. (And one heck of a driver! How do you guys back into such small spaces?)

Max was beyond excited for the delivery. He has a real affection for Christmas trees. When we were first married, we planned out the wonderful tree farm we were going to start up. We had a notebook of all the neat activities we would have on our place. Max and I even started writing a children's book about a Christmas tree. That dream crashed and burned when we saw a similar-themed book while browsing at Hasting's. Why do people always steal our fun ideas?

You can probably imagine how happy he is to finally get his chance to sell them. Today he was at the stand from morning till after 9 PM. We are trying to get everything ready for the selling begins this weekend. (That's a whole nother post for a whole nother evening.) Tonight I would like to show just how we managed to get those trees off that big trailer.

I'm sure you didn't even need to guess we had amazing volunteers donate their time, did you? Tom was a huge help! Misha was on her way to run some errands when she saw the unloading taking place. She cheerfully helped until all the trees were unloaded. John and John were beastly strong and fast hauling those firs around. Beth, my super cool sis-in-law, was innocently dropping her car off at Quanz (the company that allows us to use their lot) when she noticed that trees were being unloaded. Instead of heading to the gym like she planned to lift boring ol' weights, Beth lifted big firs! Roy, Beth's husband and Max's big bro, got to where he was showing off. At one point he was carrying two trees at once! (I wonder if his shoulders are as sore as mine today!!!) Nancy must have untied 75 trees for us! Thanks, Nancy! Thanks to all of you. You made a long, hard job a whole lot easier! Levi, thanks again for bringing all those beautiful trees. Now hurry back to Idaho where your wife and four boys who are probably missing you something terrible! Maybe we'll see you again next year. If not...Happy trails, my friend!

Bryce Man

I know someone who is officially a whole year older! Bryce, our nephew, is now ten years old! Wasn't Carla just telling me she was pregnant with him?! How did he go from being a little, cuddly baby to this big, strong kid who plays football and wrestles?

The above picture is one his mama took last year. I love it! He's just one of the guys out there on a cattle drive. Anyone remember the Appy he's on? That's Crackerjack, Bryce's horse who was at Galloping Grace up until about a month ago.

Bryce is such a great big cousin to Grant, our youngest. They LOVE each other! If Bryce is around, Grant is occupied and safe. They have always had a very special bond. Bryce often prefers to play with Grant over anyone else, and I think it's pretty sweet. Above being an all around great kid, Bryce has a very sharp mind. School is usually easy for him. He likes a good challenge like building something. This year he has become quite proficient at making flies for fishing. I asked him tonight if he planned on taking any classes so he could learn to fly fish. His response, "Nah, I'm just going to watch a DVD about it." Funny thing is that I'm sure he'll do great with that plan!
Bryce, we love you! Happy, happy tenth birthday.

Note To Self: Max Is Right, WOOD Not Finger

Michelle here. We have a special guest post tonight. While I"m on the subject, I must say some people go to the extreme to get on the blog. Geez lady, all you had to do was ask!

Warning--pictures not for faint of heart.


Trish posting:


The day started out great, dare I say perfect? I just missed the unloading of the trees. (Yes, they're in. Post on that soon.) I thought to myself, "Today will be easy. " Max asked if I could cut some wood with the saw. I was zipping along and things were great. On occasion Max would politely remind me, “Wood not finger.” As the day continued my finger got in the way. No biggie, just a little blood. Bandaged it up and continued on, so I thought. 8:00pm rolls around and the finger still is not feeling so great. I decide to go to urgent care just to make sure. I got right in and Dr. Wilson said right way, "Yep, that’s going to need stitches." Lucky me only had to get four. Turns out I left large portions of skin on the saw and there is not enough skin around wound to heal. Not to worry, it will heal. Lucky for me, I know how to take out stitches.


I love that Trish took her camera to urgent care with her. This is the same lady who ALWAYS forgets her camera when she goes places. Her usual response, "Why should I take mine? You have yours." Trish--thanks for the guest post. I hope your finger heals in a hurry.




Goodnight.

Santa Came Early

God sent his little helpers to the Christmas Corral yesterday driving a black pickup and hauling some leathery loot. Take a look at the absolutely beautiful, BRAND NEW saddle donated to Galloping Grace by some amazing people!!Here, look a little closer. What a magnificent creature!! I guess it is one perfect saddle for wee ones. All I know is that it looked gorgeous and smelled really good. Even better? Oh, the mighty sweet people that kindly donated it to us. Yep, these kind folks! PeeWee, front row, was the precious soul who stopped by in September and donated two great saddles and lots of tack to GG. Matt, seen behind PeeWee, was the guy that came to town in October specifically to slave away at the pumpkin stand. He worked for hours before making the long drive home. To know these guys is to ADORE them! They have always, always been kind and wonderful to our whole family! It would not be branding at our family ranch without them.
Today we were lucky enough to see little Wade and Kellee, PeeWee's grandchildren. Talk about your polite kids! Kellee is so mature--definitely wise beyond her years. She's only in seventh grade, but if I didn't know better I'd say she was well into her high school years.

And that Wade kid--I could eat him up! I was so honored that he hugged me without even complaining. I told you they were polite children.

The guys had the saddle specially ordered for Galloping Grace from a craftsman here in New Mexico. If Max wasn't asleep right now, I might be able to provide you with the name. PeeWee and Matt told us that they explained to the saddle makers who they were donating it to, and they upgraded the saddle free of charge. That's why it is so fancy and pretty. Are we blessed or what? I wish I had taken better pictures of the other two gifts they also donated. We are proud owners of a new container of saddle soap and a bit and bridle. In fact, it is not just any bridle that they brought, but one having a "PeeWee" bit. There is actually a tag on it with PeeWee's name on there. I won't get technical (because I couldn't if I tried), but the bit is supposed to be really good. It was designed by PeeWee himself.

"S" family from far away, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We were deeply touched by your generosity and know that countless children will benefit from your gift. We love you guys!

Catch Me If You Can

I have no idea why everything is getting underlined!  In fact, its driving me batty.  Fellow bloggers, where is the underline key?  

If I can stop being distracted by this annoying problem I'd like to challenge you to tell me what this pile of wood is.  

Starting to make a little more sense? (Crazy--why did it stop underlining???  I didn't change a thing!)    

What about now?  Think Christmas Corral.  Are you feeling it?  Can you see the vision?   
Just wait until you see the finished project--cute stuff!
(Oh wow, the underlining in blue just started again!!  Regina--what's happening? ) 
No guessing if you're in the know, but if you haven't heard the news, guess away!  We'll see how close you get.

Special gift announcement tomorrow--it's a great one!!!